New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on February 8 asked the state governments to quickly create a comprehensive and on-line data base on terrorist groups and organised crime syndicates and appealed to them to consider setting up of a Central law enforcement agency to deal with federal crimes.

"The growth of organised crime is also affecting internal security. Organised crime requires a better organised response. Therefore, we need to improve inter-agency co- ordination, particularly in sharing criminal intelligence," Vajpayee told the Chief Ministers conference on internal security.

The Union Home Ministry, he said, has initiated necessary action in association with state governments in this regard and the process should be expedited.

On opposition by some states to the establishment of a Central law enforcement agency and the long-pending debate on the issue, the Prime Minister said there have been many incidents of terrorist, extremist and criminal activities, which have inter-state, regional and even international linkages.

"Several states have experienced difficulties in dealing with such threats on their own. This has made people wonder if there cannot be prompt, well co-ordinated and effective action in such cases," he said.

He appealed to the Chief Ministers to debate whether such an agency, bound by mutually agreed operational norms and principles, would restrict the domain of state police forces or enhance their effectiveness.

PTI